Chowchilla Kidnapping Survivors Recall Their Experience: Larry Park, Andrea Park, and Darla Daniels: Larry Park says that the kidnapping experience has left deep scars on him and he has struggled with mental illness and addiction for many years.
On Wednesday night people watched a TV show about the kidnapping that happened two weeks ago in a fairground auditorium. They felt scared and interested just like when it first happened.
On July 15 news spread that a bus carrying 26 kids and a driver had disappeared while coming back from summer camp. More than 500 people which is 10% of the village’s population came to see what was happening and how the community was reacting.
Whenever the people in the village saw the bus driver Frank Edward Ray Jr. returning with the children just before dawn on Saturday they cheered. Frank was 55 years old.
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On July 15 1976 three men with guns stopped a school bus carrying 26 children and their driver. The men’s names were Frederick Woods James Schoenfeld and Richard Schoenfeld. They stopped the bus with a white van as the kids were leaving a trip to a nearby pool.
Frederick Woods who was 24 years old planned the kidnapping. He got on the bus wearing a stocking over his face and held a gun. They wanted to take a lot of kids all at once which would have been one of the biggest kidnappings ever in the United States.
James and Richard Schoenfeld joined Frederick Woods the suspected mastermind on the bus. They were carrying sawed-off shotguns and were dressed in identical clothing.
How Many Kids Were Kidnapped in the Chowchilla Kidnapping Case?
More than 40 years ago something really scary happened. A group of people kidnapped 26 kids and their bus driver. They locked them in a truck and buried them alive. The people who lived through this horrible experience still feel very upset and scared today.
On July 15 1976 something terrible happened to 26 kids and their bus driver Ed Ray. Three men with masks made of pantyhose and guns took them away from Dairyland Elementary School. It was the largest kidnapping in American history.
After being kidnapped the kids and the bus driver were kept in an underground box truck in a rock quarry for about 16 hours. But then they managed to escape thanks to the leadership of the bus driver Ed Ray.
On March 18 2023 a TV show called CBS 48 Hours will come out and it will be about the Chowchilla Kidnapping. A TV show called CBS 48 Hours will be broadcasted on March 18, 2023. It will tell the story of the Chowchilla kidnapping where 26 children and their bus driver were kidnapped a long time ago. The show will have interviews with people who survived the kidnapping and have not been seen before.
“The TV show called 48 Hours will tell the story of when 26 kids were taken by three bad guys and put in a buried trailer. The show will also have interviews with the kids who escaped and how they did it.”
Who is the person named Larry Park?
When Larry Park was just six years old he was kidnapped and held hostage inside an old truck trailer. On July 15 1976 Larry was with 25 other students from a summer school near Chowchilla California on their way home.
Ed Ray the bus driver tried to stop the kidnappers but they had weapons so he couldn’t do much to protect the children. The kidnappers threatened the bus driver and the children with weapons so the driver did what they asked to keep everyone safe. Then the kidnappers made them get into two vans without any windows.
After being kidnapped Larry and the other children were taken on a long ride for almost 12 hours without any idea where they were going. Eventually, they were taken to a rock quarry and forced to jump into a hole. The police later found them at the quarry in Livermore California which was about 100 miles away from where they were taken.
Where Is Larry Park Today?
After the police took charge of the case the survivors were taken to the Santa Rita Rehabilitation Center where they were given food and drinks. Then they were allowed to return home to Chowchilla where their families were waiting for them.
Larry said that after the kidnapping the authorities arranged for the kids to go to Disneyland to have fun and forget about the scary thing that happened to them. He completed his studies at the Preston School of Industry and then went on to get a Master of Arts in Christian Counseling from the AMES International School of Ministry.
Right now Larry lives in Mariposa California and works as a pastor. He also helps young people and talks to them about forgiveness. He does this while working as a Christian counselor and being a mentor.
Larry strongly believes that forgiveness can help people heal and he wants to help others by sharing his own story. It’s great to know that he is now in a happy relationship and we wish him all the best in his future goals.
